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Noninvasive cosmetic procedure rejuvenates skin.

A strong desire to help people look their best runs in Anne Harrell’s family. Her brother is a Chicago-based dermatologist, and she spent several years working as a cosmetologist before earning certification as a medical electrologist.

Anne was amazingly pleased with the results of her Vampire Facial

Now the owner of Laser Institute of Vero Beach, which specializes in laser hair removal, Anne shares that desire to look her best. It was, in fact, that very desire that triggered the slight turn she made in her career path.

“I had some facial hair going on that I wanted to get rid of, a little chin hair to be more specific,” Anne says. “I found out that laser hair removal works really well for that, and I got into it after that. It was my own curiosity that led to the change.”

Anne’s curiosity recently had her looking into yet another beautification therapy. This one is a skin treatment called the Vampire Facial. The procedureuses the customer’s own blood to naturally rejuvenate their skin and promote healthy growth and activity.

“I’d heard a lot of good things about it, that it was really good for overall skin texture, reducing pore size and building collagen,” Anne relates. “Those are some things I was looking for in a skin treatment, so I started looking into it.”

Anne didn’t have to look far to find someone who could perform the unique treatment. As part of her practice, she performs laser hair removal services at Dean Wellness Institute, where its proprietor, Melissa Dean, MD, offers the Vampire Facial.

Dr. Dean was trained in the application of the Vampire Facial by its inventor, Charles Runels, MD, who also trademarked the procedure that uses a blood derivative called platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, to restore, shape and improve the tone and texture of the skin.

“It’s called Vampire Facial because we use your own blood products,” Dr. Dean says of the nonsurgical
treatment. “That blood product is the PRP, which is being used a lot in orthopedics now and even in some other areas of medicine.”

PRP therapy has been used to treat a variety of problems, including joint, tendon, ligament and muscle injuries and even hair loss. It is considered effective because the PRP contains growth factors that naturally increase the body’s ability to heal itself.

When used as part of a skin treatment, PRP directs the body to produce new collagen that smoothes out the skin and gives it better tone and texture, including around the corners of the eyes and mouth, where it erases fine lines and wrinkles.

Three-Step Process

During the Vampire Facial, PRP therapy is performed as part of the second step of a three-step process that begins with the application of a numbing cream to the customer’s face. While the numbing cream takes effect, the PRP is collected.

“While the person is numbing, we draw a little bit of blood from their arm, about two teaspoons worth,”
Dr. Dean explains. “We then put that blood into a special machine called a centrifuge that separates the PRP from the red blood cells.”

During the third step of the procedure, the PRP is placed in a syringe that is used to apply the PRP directly to the face while the technician uses a handheld, pen-shaped microneedling device to inject small microtraumas to the skin.

The feeling one gets from the injections made by the sterilized microneedling device has often been likened to that of someone pressing sandpaper onto the skin, but some customers with more sensitive skin may experience a more intense feeling.

“It sounds kind of gruesome when you’re talking about needles to the face, but these are very tiny microneedles, a dozen of them on a cartridge about a half-inch in diameter, and the numbing cream makes it easy to tolerate the microtraumas they create,” Dr. Dean adds.

The administration of the PRP and its growth factors to the trauma areas activates the stem cells that are already in the skin. This sparks a healthy rejuvenation of the skin that makes it softer and leaves it looking clearer and younger.

“The other thing we do during this step is divide the face up into areas,” Dr. Dean reveals. “The technician will do the microneedling in one area of the face and then move on to another area, apply the PRP and do the microneedling to that area.

“She’ll do that until she’s done with the whole face, but we can also do the neck or upper chest area. When we’re done, we just let the patient sit comfortably for a few minutes before we apply some aftercare products.”

Lunchtime Procedure

A Vampire Facial takes about 45 minutes to an hour to complete, and little to no downtime is required for recovery. Dr. Dean says that most patients can immediately return to their normal, daily activities.

“That’s why we refer to the Vampire Facial as a lunchtime procedure,” Dr. Dean notes. “You can get it done during your lunchtime, put on a little makeup and go right back to work, and no one will even know you
had anything done.”

Anne’s description of the procedure matches Dr. Dean’s. She says her Vampire Facial was “painless,” took about an hour to complete and with the exception of “some redness,” left her face looking relatively normal
immediately afterward.

“And that redness goes away pretty fast,” Anne reports. “By the next day for sure, you really can’t tell you had anything done at all. And it really is painless. The numbing cream works really well, so it’s not a big deal at all in terms of discomfort.

“The best thing, of course, is that the results are really amazing. I could definitely tell a difference in the overall texture of my skin, the tightness and how it evened out the color of it. I was really pleased, and I had just one treatment.

“The recommendation is that you get three done over the course of a few months, but one will make a big difference, which is why I definitely recommend it. I know a lot of people are doing it now because they’re getting great results.

“And, of course, I recommend that they get it done by Dr. Dean. She’s a great person, an amazing wellness doctor, and she always tries to do things naturally first. I think that’s why patients love her so much and why they always come back to her.”

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Roy Cummings is a native of Chicago, Illinois who grew up in the suburb of Lombard. He and his family later moved to Lakeland, Florida, where Roy attended high school at Kathleen High. He graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communications in 1983 and immediately went to work for the Tampa Tribune. After five years working in a Polk County bureau covering everything from high school sports to college football to the Orlando Magic of the NBA, Roy moved back to Tampa and became the Tribune's first beat writer for the Tampa Bay Lightning, covering the team from its inception through the first eight years on the ice. He was then moved to the Buccaneers beat, where he stayed until the paper was folded in May, 2016. A two-time Florida Sports Writer of the Year, Roy has extensive experience covering all Tampa professional sports teams, including the Tampa Bay Rays.

Dean Wellness Institute has been serving Vero Beach, FL and the surrounding areas for over 15 years. Their wellness institute is focused on providing a holistic approach to wellness and improved health. They work closely with their patients to ... Read More

Melissa Dean, MD, specializes in internal and general preventative medicine and is an expert in treating menopause and andropause. She has also been expertly trained in the field of diabetes management, hormone replacement and nutrition. She e... Read More